Systems Alliance(WOTE)
|official_language=English |currency=Credits |religious= |official_holiday= |anthem= |formed_from= |date_established= 2149 CE |date_fragmented= |date_reorganized= |date_dissolved= |restored= |era(s)=*Mass Effect Age *Shanxi Conflict *The Advent of Humanity *The Geth Incursions *The Reaper War *The Great Galactic Revival}} The Systems Alliance was the representative body of , in its majority, and its colonies within Federation Space. It also served as the dominant military presence in the Galactic Federation of Allied Systems. It rapidly ascended into galactic prominence between 2183 and 2187 CE, as the Alliance were largely to thank for the defeat of the . Since then they continued their growth, forming a strong relationship with the Turian Hierarchy and the newly formed Federation, operating as the military hand of the Federation. Though the Exodus Dominion—the human supremacist government that departed from the Alliance after a civil war—had grown greatly in strength by 2270 CE, and tensions between the two continued to grow as they stayed locked in their Cold War. History Establishment n 2148, a mining team on Mars made perhaps humanity's greatest discovery. After investigating the "Bermuda Triangle-like" reputation of the southern pole, the team unearthed the subterranean ruins of an ancient alien research station, revealing incontrovertible proof of the existence of alien life. Humanity was no longer alone in the universe. The impact was profound in all areas of human culture, but nowhere more so than religion. New beliefs sprang up overnight such as the Interventionary Evolutionists, who zealously proclaimed the discovery as proof that all human history had been directed and controlled by alien forces. Even established religions struggled to explain extraterrestrial life. Some tried to incorporate this new-found knowledge into their dogma, some remained silent, while a few tried to stubbornly deny the evidence found on Mars. The news of the discovery dominated the media and raised questions not only about the existence and purpose of humanity, but questions about the aliens themselves. Foremost, were they still out there? While these questions had served to fracture most religions they had a unifying effect in politics. Rather than nations fighting each other over their differences, it was now "us vs. them" and the foundations of a united human front were laid. Within a year of the discovery, Earth's eighteen largest nations had drafted and ratified the Systems Alliance charter, establishing a representative political body to expand and defend human territory. Shortly thereafter, the various nations of Earth pooled their military resources to create the Systems Alliance Military. The same year, 2149, the Alliance discovered the Sol system's mass relay orbiting Pluto, previously thought to be a moon, Charon. The Charon Relay propelled them into space and the reach of humanity grew quickly. First Contact War The Alliance began a rapid campaign of expansion, establishing numerous colonies and constructing a large fleet, even though it had yet to encounter another species. Maintaining this expansion policy, the Alliance activated all the mass relays it could find to seek out new resources and possible colonies. But despite this success, the Systems Alliance was not considered a serious political body, as it was considered to lack the authority of individual nations. Eight years later, humanity made first contact with another alien species and everything changed. A scout fleet consisting of three frigates and two cargo vessels, trying to activate a mass relay, encountered a turian patrol fleet. Activating a dormant mass relay without knowing where it led had been declared illegal by the Council, though the humans did not know this. Only one of the human ships made it back to Shanxi colony, which was subsequently discovered by the turians and invaded. While individual governments remained unsure on what action should be taken, the Alliance took control and attacked the turians. The resulting First Contact War was relatively short and bloodless, lasting only months and costing 623 human lives (with a slightly higher number of turian casualties). The Citadel Council intervened and negotiated a peace. With the discovery of the Citadel and the greater community, humanity leapt onto the galactic stage. The Alliance received a surge of popularity, which gave it the necessary political credibility to establish its own Parliament and speak for humanity as a whole. Expansion and Development Since then, the Alliance has continued its expansion, with the resource wealth of a dozen settled colonies and hundreds of industrial outposts flowing back to Earth. This expansion brought the Alliance into conflict with the batarians as both species rushed to settle the Skyllian Verge, while maintaining a careful truce with the turians. The Alliance has also been granted an embassy on the Citadel. It has been speculated, given humanity's remarkably fast rise in terms of military, political, and economic power, that the Systems Alliance may soon be invited to join the Citadel Council. This has been a source of some concern to several other species. Humans have expanded rapidly from Earth in a very short period of time, becoming swiftly integrated into Citadel society and the galactic economy. They have become less ethnically diverse in the twenty-second century, due to a more multicultural society and greater unity between nations. Improved medical advances and gene therapy have led to longer, healthier lifespans; the average citizen can now expect to live to around 150. Most humans retain their native tongue, but learn alien languages or trade pidgin for the sake of convenience or as a gesture of unity. One of the lasting consequences of the First Contact War was the interruption of a period of relative peace in the galaxy. Fairly or unfairly, humans are often thought of as aggressors, and are sometimes portrayed as a disruptive influence by non-human media. At the same time, other races recognize humans as an adaptable, intelligent and militarily capable race. Battle of Eden Prime and the Hunt for Saren The Alliance cooperated with the turians to create a new stealth frigate, the SSV Normandy. The Normandy was commissioned in 2183 with Anderson as her captain. A Spectre, Nihlus Kryik, was assigned to the Normandy's shakedown run, supposedly to observe Spectre candidate Commander Shepard in action, though his true purpose was to recover a Prothean Beacon from Eden Prime. In the events that followed, Eden Prime was discovered to have been sacked by the Geth, with a massive ship, Nihlus was killed, by fellow spectre, Saren Arterius leading the Geth, and Shepard pursued him. But he was ultimately incapacitated by the Prothean Beacon, which forced him into visions of a synthetic invasion. The Geth forces retreated, by the damage was done, most of the colony was burning, Shepard was unconscious, and Nihlus was dead. Afterwards, the crew of the SSV Normandy headed for the Citadel, where Shepard accused Saren of treason, but the charges were dismissed by the Council. Shepard, with the help of several others then exposed Saren as a traitor, and Shepard was rewarded by becoming the first human spectre. He was then tasked with pursuing and locating Saren, though he himself came to believe "Reapers", ancient sentient machines that wiped out the Protheans 50,000 years before, were to blame. Eventually he tracked down Saren, on the Prothean ruin of Ilos, after learning what they believed was Saren's flag ship, Sovereign, was actually a Reaper, and they intended to use the Citadel to bring the Reapers out of dark space. Using the Conduit, Shepard teleported himself to the Citadel, still pursuing Saren, though by the time he had arrived, Sovereign and a fleet of Geth were destroying the Citadel fleets. However, thanks to Shepard opening the Mass Relay, the Alliance Fifth Fleet arrived, defeating the Geth, saving the Council and opened fire on the Reaper. Ultimately, Shepard defeated Saren, and subsequently, Sovereign, preventing the Citadel from being opened and allowing the Reapers through. With Humanity's sacrifice and vigilance against Saren and his Geth, they were awarded a spot on the Council, that position falling to Captain David Anderson. The Alliance from that moment on, became recognized as the dominant military force in the galaxy, and the rest of the species looked to them for guidance. The Geth Incursions and Conflict with the Collectors Partly as a result of humanity's prominent new role in the politics of Citadel space, the Alliance headed a coalition force to systematically hunt down pockets of geth resistance. Political experts from all species debated on what humanity's ascendancy meant for Citadel space, with some worrying humanity had too much power. Over the next several months, the Alliance successfully eradicated most Geth resistance, but they were dealt a devastating blow when the Normandy was destroyed by an unknown enemy, and Shepard was killed in action. Over the next two years, the Alliance became heavily involved in intergalactic politics, and grew distant from its colonies, so much so, that it did not notice the Collectors abducting human colonist in the Terminus Systems. The Alliance, after discovering the issue, launched an investigation, and also discovered Shepard, who was believed to of died, was alive, and working with Cerberus, a rogue black ops agency. They suspected Cerberus and sent Major Kaiden Alenko to Horizon to run ops there. The colony was indeed hit, and half of the population was taken by the Collectors, but Shepard and his team arrived to stop them from taking the entire colony. A similar incident occurred on the colony of Fehl Prime. This time, the Collectors were fought off by Lieutenant James Vega, a small team of Alliance Spec ops, and a Shadow Broker agent. However, the colony was lost in its entirety, but Vega's team managed to uncover vital information on the Collectors. Despite the Alliance's efforts, it would be Shepard and Cerberus who defeated the Collectors. Shepard led his team into the galactic core, defeated the Collectors who were taking colonist to create a Human Reaper, and defeated them. Afterwards, he decided to destroy the collector base, rather than allow it to fall into Cerberus's hands, this marked the end of Shepard's short lived, tenuous relationship with Cerberus. Prosperity and Alliance with the Turians Over the years, the Alliance's relationship with the Turian Hierarchy grew immensely, as the two became the de-facto fighting force of the galaxy, the heavy hands of the Citadel itself. It was a far cry from the days of the First Contact War, and almost all animosity between the two species was lost. Many would say that there has never been a closer Alliance to forge within this galaxy. The Reaper Invasion Reconstruction Era Formation of the GFAS and Galactic Reformation The Batarian Incursions and Yahg Conflicts The Kinaro Issue Alliance Recession Terra Firma Revolts The Exodus War Neutrality and Restoration Hunting Cerberus Administration Government The Alliance was responsible for the governance and defense of all dependent extra-solar human colonies, and represented the majority of humanity. It is a supranational government, and is based on a parliamentary system, with the Alliance Parliament based at Anderson Memorial Station. Representation is based on both Earth nations and the colonies under Alliance control. Several seats are elected by 'spacers' defined as citizens who spend a significant amount of their time in space and do not stay too long on any one colony or planet. The Alliance government is headed by a Prime Minister; as of 2271, this position was occupied by Gracie Nocerino. The Prime Minister is elected by the Alliance Parliment board. While the Alliance is a supranational government, the member nations retain their individual sovereignty back on Earth. Likewise, among the Federation civilizations, the Alliance is considered a sovereign nation and no other nation has right of oversight into Alliance affairs. Military Doctrine The Alliance Military is arguably the most respected and feared among Federation nations, due to their tenacity, adaptability, hard work, novel tactics, and advanced technology. For the longest time, their strengths were their flexibility, fire support, and speed, however, since the Reaper War, the Alliance has grown at an exponential rate. It is now known for its sheer military strength on top of the previously military traits, though it is rivaled by the Exodus Dominion. The size has grown considerably, as in 2183 CE, only 3% of humans volunteered for military service, now that percentage has risen to 12% by 2270 CE. They support their numbers with sophisticated technical support in the form of VIs, drones, artillery, and electronic warfare, and emphasis on mobility and individual initiative. Their military doctrine is not based on absorbing and dishing out heavy shocks like the turians and krogan. Rather, they bypass enemy strong points and launch deep into their rear, cutting supply lines and logistics, destroying headquarters and support units, leaving enemies to "wither on the vine". On defense, the Alliance military lives by Sun Tzu's maxim, "He who tries to defend everything defends nothing." Only token garrisons are placed on their colonies. These are intended for scouting rather than combat, avoiding engagement to observe and report on invaders using drones. However, the Alliance stations powerful fleets at mass relay nexuses so that in the event of an attack they respond with overwhelming force. These tactics paid off in engagements like the Geth attack on the Citadel, and on multiple occasions during the Reaper War. The Hahne-Kedar company and Aldrin Labs are key suppliers of the military. All soldiers receive gene therapy for improved strength and stamina. The Alliance also recruits biotics, who are trained using techniques developed at BAaT. The new L3 biotic implants are considered a significant step forward in biotic amplification. By 2270 CE, the Alliance supported the largest fleet in the entire galaxy, consisting of well over 1000 ships, and nearly 150 dreadnoughts, as well as an array of super carriers that almost measured the same size as these dreadnoughts. The Alliance headquarters is stationed on Anderson Memorial Station, which replaced the destroyed Arcturus Station following the Reaper War. *Systems Alliance Navy *Atlas *N7 Special Forces Division *Systems Alliance Intelligence Division Economy The Alliance Economy has become one of the dominant players in the galaxy, and for decades was considered to be the most important economy in the Federation. However, due to their expenditures in the Batarian Incursions, the Kinaro rebellions, and the Exodus War, they have fallen off to an extent in recent years. They are strong trade partners with the Turian Hierarchy and the Urdnot Empire, as the three have formed a military alliance. The Alliance's various national treasuries are linked to the Citadel's credit network. Diplomatic Relations By far, the Alliance's strongest political and military relationships have formed with the Turian Hierarchy and the Urdnot Empire. They have maintained a friendly, yet distant relationship with the fractured Asari Republics, though this has been difficult and tedious since the Republics have fractured over religion and the Prothean VI beneath Thessia. The Alliance has a strong political relationship with the Salarian Federation as well, and maintains healthy ties to all members of the Galactic Federation of Allied Systems. They have remained at odds with the Batarian people as a whole, and have maintained a large presence in the former Batarian Space that had now become a war zone between warring Batarian extremist factions. For the longest time, many species in the galaxy feared the Alliance, believing they were expanding too fast. However, this had completely changed by 2186 CE. Humanity led the unification of the galaxy against the Reapers, and it was the Systems Alliance that spearheaded the war, saving all civilized life from extinction. Since then, they have been viewed as the galactic protectors of the galaxy, and they can be found in the highest levels of Federation command. Despite this, the Alliance always had dissenters among their people, notably Cerberus, and the Terra Firma Party. The Terra Firma Party opposed the Alliance's growing ambitions in the galactic community, and had a very xenophobic, isolationist view. This party eventually evolved into the Exodus Dominion, sparking the Exodus War, or the Human Civil War as many called it. It was fought to a stalemate, and the Exodus Dominion was recognized as a sovereign nation. The two have remained at odds since the war, and have been locked in a Cold War. Astrography Resources Equipment The Alliance military has developed unique weapon and armor systems for its troops. Many of these were initially created for the exclusive use of N7 Marines. The Alliance's Offensive Handgun Project has also produced several specialized pistols. Facilities Members Current Former Appearances *Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy Trivia Category:COSG Category:Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy Category:Systems Alliance Category:Systems Alliance Navy Category:Humans Category:WolfOfTheEast Category:Articles by WolfOfTheEast Category:Organizations